Languages Faculty

From the Co-ordinator of Languages

A Sweet and Savory End-of-Year Adventure for Year 10 French and Mandarin Students

With a mission to transform their language skills into tangible experiences and develop their intercultural awareness, our Year 10 students of Languages set out on excursions in our local community. For the students of French, a visit to a local Belgian chocolate café where students engaged in a chocolate masterclass with the chocolatier in French, learning about the art and science behind chocolate-making. For the students of Mandarin, a visit to a local Asian supermarket and restaurant where students engaged in a treasure hunt of sorts, as they sought out ingredients, read labels, menus and engaged in conversations with staff in Mandarin.

“On Wednesday, the Year 10 French classes went on an excursion to Choc et Moi – a small Belgium chocolate shop in Dee Why. We were greeted by a passionate and knowledgeable chocolatier who taught us (in French) about the chocolate making process, showed us how to temper chocolate, and gave us a taste test of each flavour. We tasted everything from bitter and crunchy chocolate nibs to the creamy and sweet white chocolate made from cocoa butter. My highlights of the day were when we got to temper the chocolate on a large marble stone, and when we got to pipe and decorate our own chocolate pieces which were able to take back with us. Finally, we finished the 2-hour workshop, with an authentic Belgium hot chocolate. This was such a fun and enjoyable experience, and I would like to thank the French teachers for organising this amazing trip.” 

Emily (C10)

“Two days ago, the Year 10 elective Chinese students took a trip to Mao Sheng Asian Supermarket. It was a fun and educational way to be introduced to unique cultural cuisine. We got taught about traditional Asian foods, some fruits and vegetables we had never heard of before. We did a scavenger hunt to explore the shop and learn names of products. To put our Chinese speaking into practice, we had to communicate with the shop owner. She was polite and gave us a packet of crackers. The second part of the excursion was also fun. From the supermarket we walked to Dee Why Chinese Restaurant. The food we ordered was good and we were taught by the restaurant owner to say Doh jeh, which means thank you in Cantonese. 

 

After we attempted to finish the dishes, we walked back to the school and were back in time for period 5 and 6, and looking forward to enjoying the snacks we'd bought throughout the day.

 

The excursion was educational and enjoyable. Thank you to Miss Yu for giving up her break to let us experience traditional Chinese cuisine.”

Talia (C10)